DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “identical plug parts” and “identical mating plug parts” in claim 24 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 13, 17 and 19-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsuruta et al. (8,257,107).
Regarding claim 1, Tsuruta et al. disclose an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a housing (21, Fig. 7) having an opening configured to receive therein a plug part (23/26, Fig. 7) of an electrical plug connection;
a pot-shaped cover (50, Fig. 4) configured to receive a mating plug part (54/62) of the electrical plug connection and to close the opening of the housing;
wherein a rear side of the plug part is potted (by 36, Figs. 2 and 15), and
wherein the housing is sealingly connected to the cover (by 31, Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 2, the plug part (23/26, Fig. 7) and the mating plug part (54/62, Fig. 8) are releasably connected.
Regarding claim 3, Fig. 4 shows the cover comprises an annular cover seal (63) having a larger diameter than the mating plug part.
Regarding claim 4, Fig. 4 shows the annular cover seal has a larger diameter than the plug part.
Regarding claim 5, Fig. 4 shows the plug part on the inside is directly connected to the housing to be spaced apart, in an insertion direction of the plug part, from a sealing face of the housing.
Regarding claim 13, Fig. 6 shows fastening elements (39) configured to connect the plug part to the housing, wherein the fastening elements include threaded connections.
Regarding claim 17, Fig. 6 shows a fastening space (65) is configured between the plug part and the mating plug part.
Regarding claim 19, Fig. 6 shows fastening elements (39) that protrude into the fastening space, wherein the fastening elements include screws.
Regarding claim 20, Fig. 6 shows the mating plug part is connected to the cover by fastening elements (39), wherein the fastening elements include screws.
Regarding claim 21, Fig. 6 shows the plug part is connected to the housing by fastening elements (39), wherein the fastening elements include screws.
Regarding claim 22, Fig. 6 shows the plug part includes openings into which pins (28) are insertable.
Claims 1, 6-10, 12, 16 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishibashi et al. (8,491,323).
Regarding claim 1, Ishibashi et al., Fig. 6 shows an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a housing (23) having an opening configured to receive therein a plug part (22/26) of an electrical plug connection;
a pot-shaped cover (C) configured to receive a mating plug part (56) of the electrical plug connection and to close the opening of the housing;
wherein a rear side of the plug part is potted, and
wherein the housing is sealingly connected to the cover (by 54).
Regarding claim 6, Fig. 6 shows a potted part (G) connected to the plug part in a force-fitting manner.
Regarding claim 7, Fig. 6 shows a mating potted part (28) connected to the potted part.
Regarding claim 8, Fig. 6 shows the mating potted part includes a cable conduit (a hole that receives W) that is disposed centric to the housing.
Regarding claim 9, Fig. 6 shows the housing and the pot-shaped cover together form a potting socket (G).
Regarding claim 10, Fig. 6 shows the potting socket contacts a mating potted part (28).
Regarding claim 12, Fig. 6 shows the diameter of the potting socket is smaller than the diameter of the plug part.
Regarding claim 16, Fig. 6 shows a cable conduit (a hole that receives W) leads through a hole in the potting socket.
Regarding claim 23, Fig. 6 shows a potted part (28) is connected to the potting socket (G) in a form-fitting manner.
Claims 1, 9, 11, 14-15 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Burris et al. (9,590,287).
Regarding claim 1, Burris et al. disclose an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a housing (200’, Fig. 3) having an opening configured to receive therein a plug part (2500) of an electrical plug connection;
a pot-shaped cover (701, Fig. 5) configured to receive a mating plug part (705) of the electrical plug connection and to close the opening of the housing;
wherein a rear side of the plug part is potted (by 5000, Fig. 3), and
wherein the housing is sealingly connected to the cover (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 9, Figs. 3 and 5 show the housing and the pot-shaped cover together form a potting socket (5000).
Regarding claim 11, the potting socket is held on the plug part by a casting compound.
Regarding claim 14, Fig. 3 shows an annular potting socket seal (235’) is configured between the potting socket and the housing.
Regarding claim 15, Fig. 3 shows the diameter of the annular potting socket
seal is smaller than a maximum diameter of the potting socket.
Regarding claim 17, Figs. 3 and 5 show a fastening space (a groove of the housing 200’ that receives 235’) is configured between the plug part and the mating plug part.
Regarding claim 18, Fig. 3 shows the potting socket at one end protrudes directly into the fastening space.
Claims 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Friedhof (9,236,688).
Regarding claim 24, Friedhof discloses a type series of an electronic apparatus, comprising:
a housing (300, Fig. 5) having an opening configured to receive a plug part (330, Figs. 5 and 8) of an electrical plug connection; and
a pot-shaped cover (200, Fig. 2) configured to receive a mating plug part (230, Figs. 2 and 8) of the electrical plug connection and to close the opening of the housing (Fig. 8);
wherein a rear side of the plug part is optionally potted (Fig. 7),
wherein the housing and the cover are substantially identical for a first variant in which the plug part is potted (when (304, Fig. 5) is connected to (300) as shown in Fig. 1) and a second variant in which the plug part is not potted (when (304) is not connected to (300) as shown in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 25, the first variant and the second variant include identical plug parts is without a potting socket (Fig. 8).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/14/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Tsuruta et al., Ishibashi et al. and Burris et al. are not disclosed “a rear side of a plug part is potted”.
The Examiner disagrees.
Since claim 1 is broadly claimed a rear side of a plug part is potted but not claimed how to pot or any structures or details of the potting; therefore, any elements that is inserted to a rear side of a plug part can be read as “a rear side of a plug part is potted”.
For the above reasons, it is believed that the rejection should be sustained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANH TAM T LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2094. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdul Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THANH TAM T LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831 02/10/26
thanh-tam.le@uspto.gov